Michael A. Cohen: The New Colonialists? How NGOs and Private Citizens Are Transforming State Sovereignty (11/30/09)

Sixty countries are unable to meet the basic requirements of statehood, as recently reported by the Brookings Institution. What is standing between these states and a spiral into dissolution or, worse, anarchy? Cohen explains how the “new colonialists” of the 21st century – aid agencies, international charities, philanthropists and foreign advisors – are stepping into roles as providers of basic health care, education and security.

This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California on November 30, 2009.